PDN offers cash-strapped (and/or fiscally-conscious) photographers a way to set up their very own studio for around $3000. Two guys were recruited to outfit their own studio, and the comparison between the products they bought and the thought processes behind their choices are super helpful because not only does it recognize the important fact that not all photographers shoot the same way, it offers readers like me a choice.
Most, if not all the equipment was bought online at eBay or craigslist, and while I do like shiny, new things, the breakdown of their research and decisions as well as their “Buyer Be Wary” caveat, helps someone like me who is not confident in hunting down quality bargains from these sites.
I found especially useful the section on buying a lighting kit; I’ve casually browsed lighting kits in catalogs from B&H and Calumet for several years now and I still have no clue on the difference between a must-have and a nice-to-have-but-not-necessary. Yes, I admit I’m afraid of studio lighting and gravitate towards only natural lighting opportunities, except for when I shoot events (yay for mastering the Nikon SB-800!).
But, after seeing Julia Fullerton-Batten’s website and reading that she uses at minimum 7 flash heads I realized, well, I need to up my game and just learn. I did take an undergrad course in studio lighting & large format (combination class) but at the time I was more interested in honing aesthetic vision than I was in developing technical ability. I see now that excluding one from the other was a huge mistake on my part, and because I lack developed skills in artificial lighting I feel that I am certainly at a disadvantage.
Using this guide, especially the lighting kit selection, I feel that this will help me take the first step in the direction of mastering studio lighting.
Image by Irving Penn
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